And if my name were Juniper,
Then I would know where I was going.
And then I would become all knowing,
My beard so very long and flowing.

Saturday

Up a little earlier than usual, which was just as well as the Ocado delivery was early. I was helped by A in putting everything away, by which point everyone was up and ready for breakfast. Spent the morning attempting to tidy, as well as portioning up the large piece of beef fillet I’d taken delivery of from the butcher the day before.

The afternoon was spent partly in the garden; it’s been particularly warm but there was an old flowerbed that needed digging out to give the kids somewhere to plant pumpkins, before it gets too late. I cleared all the grasses and weeds from it, but left the sowing of the seeds for another day. Made another Detroit-style pizza for dinner; deliciously filling. I’m starting to wonder if I might be able to manage a gluten-free version the next time my mum can come to stay – whenever that is.

Finished up the day watching the SpaceX launch on YouTube; we managed to catch sight of the ISS in the sky later on, but any hint of the rocket itself passing was beyond us; our suspicion is it was behind the treeline. Never mind; when you’ve seen one spacecraft passing you’ve seen them all, I suppose.

Sunday

Woke at 8am by one of the kids coming out of the bathroom. This was particularly annoying as I’d been intending to get up early so that I could be out and back on the bike in a sensible amount of time. Eventually left after the circus at about 9:30, heading up to Hampton Court Palace again.

Lots has changed in the last two weeks, including quite a few pop-up bike lanes and freshly painted ones on other roads. Did more or less the same route as the previous time, with the difference that I didn’t get lost in Thames Ditton, instead adding a couple of miles along the river heading back toward Kingston. Cycled back through Epsom again, this time knowing what I was letting myself in for; I wasn’t quite as quick through that bit as last time, but there was more of a headwind and it was warmer. I also need to manage my hydration better, I think.

In the afternoon we planted the pumpkins and I barbecued some bits and pieces for dinner. The kids keep asking if we can eat outside; much to their annoyance we’ve said no, mostly because there isn’t any shade in the garden. “What about the gazebo?” they ask, and they’d be right, except for the fact that even a pop-up gazebo takes more than the five minutes before a meal to put up.

Monday

Back to work with a bump; today has been particularly horrendous, consisting of meeting after meeting, each about different projects and with different priorities. Although I stopped briefly for lunch, it didn’t really help with the onslaught and by the time 5:30 rolled around I was desperate to get away from the screen.

I’d been craving something slightly unhealthy, and succeeded in my plan by making a stir fry with deep-fried battered crispy pork. Delicious, and it was filling but not too much. Got the kids into bed and then collapsed in front of the TV; it was one of those kinds of days. Another one tomorrow, hopefully not quite so extreme.